


Janus's First Encounter with Little Roman

by DannyisDone



Series: First Encounters (Sanders Sides Agere) [7]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Age Play Caregiver Deceit | Janus Sanders, Age Play Little Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Age Play Little Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Age Regression, Age Regression/De-Aging, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Non-Sexual Age Play, Sympathetic Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Sympathetic Deceit | Janus Sanders, Why do i keep hurting these boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:47:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27973917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DannyisDone/pseuds/DannyisDone
Summary: This story contains age regression and is NOT sexual!After an incident in the Imagination, Roman opens up to Janus about his own age regression. However, there seems to be more to this incident than just Roman discovering he's little, but he won't share and Remus has been sworn to secrecy. What happened in the Imagination that would cause Roman to loathe his own little side and force Remus to lie to Janus?+++This is a continuation of the story set up in "Roman's First Encounter with Little Remus"! You should read that story before this one! https://archiveofourown.org/works/27600793/chapters/67522285Warnings: Crying (Have I written anything yet that didn't have crying...?), Roman and Remus fight a bit, timeouts, Roman says some mean things about his own regression as well as Remus's so do take care of yourselves when reading that. If I need to add more please let me know! THIS NEXT WARNING IS A SPOILER SO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK: Slightly Unsympathetic Virgil. He just doesn't get it.
Relationships: Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders
Series: First Encounters (Sanders Sides Agere) [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2017849
Comments: 19
Kudos: 106





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> THE STORY CONTINUES. I wanted to write this because the original story recently just got over 100 kudos! I am very grateful that so many people liked the story, and wanted to put something out to continue it to show my appreciation! I originally planned to just make another bonus chapter to the original story, but this is getting so long, and plus I didn't have a plot line considered for Janus and Little Roman story, so I thought it was all too perfect. I will try and link them together so that those who read the first one can find this one easily. 
> 
> Also I desperately needed to write this. I have two heavy angst stories that I am writing right now. The angst in this story feels like a nice vacation compared to my other ones (in my opinion, anyways) (also all three of the stories I am working on currently have baby Remus, so you can tell what kind of mood I have been in lol) 
> 
> Thank you for the support you've shown the story, and I hope that this segment continues to make y'all happy! I may continue the trend of continuing stories when they hut certain milestones, but I don't want to promise anything! I have a couple of stories bordering 100 Kudos, so I will just have to wait and see if there's a way to continue them anyways.

Janus had had his suspicions for a while now about Roman potentially age regressing like his twin, long before they had reconciled their differences. The brothers were just so similar at times, it was hard not to take notice when Roman would pout at not getting something he wanted, or the way he would delight in childish activities such as coloring or playing pretend. Heck, the very day Janus had introduced himself to Thomas, Roman had been on stage, pretending to be Joan “pretending” to be a small child. It was as if any moment he could, he would relish in being little without even knowing he was doing it. 

Which is why he was not surprised when he found Roman outside of his door one day, just a few hours after a play session with Remus in the Imagination, avoiding eye contact and worrying his shirt in his fists. 

“Need to chat?” Janus asked, stepping out of the doorway so Roman could come in if he wanted. Remus was off, having come out of his littlespace just an hour before, and had told Janus he was going to go back into the Imagination to set up the next game he wanted to play with Roman. Remus’s relationship with his brother and his own age regression had improved greatly since inviting Roman into that part of his life, and it really warmed Janus’s heart, for both boys in fact. Because while he was mostly invested in Remus’s improvements, seeing as he was his best friend and caregiver, he couldn’t help the swell of pride he had for Roman as well. They both had been working hard on trusting each other more, and it had resulted in Roman feeling more confident in himself, seeing as he didn’t have to second guess if he was doing something wrong just because Janus agreed with him. With that trust being built, it meant that Roman had been seeking out Janus’s advice just a bit more as well, so inviting Roman in was nothing new. 

But it was clear something was a tad different about this meeting. Roman stepped into the room, still avoiding eye contact though he had nodded an answer to Janus’s question. He walked towards the desk and sat in the chair, which was just a bit odd. Roman usually stole the bed, flailing on it dramatically if he had come to complain about something, or bouncing on it if he wanted to talk about something exciting that had happened. Janus took note of his behaviour and sat on the bed across from him. He quickly glanced over the man, making sure he wasn’t harmed or anything. But when he deemed this to be a strictly emotional problem, he nodded. 

“Everything alright?” Janus asked, hoping to get the conversation started. Roman continued to fiddle with his suit, playing with the buttons and twisting the fabric in his hands. He still hadn’t made eye contact with Janus. 

“Did Remus talk to you about what happened earlier in the Imagination?” Roman asked. One of Janus’s eyebrows arched. 

“He told me that you two went swimming in the ocean, and that you taught him how to do an underwater headstand.” Janus said, letting a small smile form on his face, hoping to try and ease the tension he could see in Roman’s shoulders. They didn’t relax though, so Janus carried on. “And that he had had a lot of fun, and was glad that you played with him.” He wondered if maybe Roman was seeming a bit insecure about being a good big brother for regressed Remus. That seemed to be one of the frequent discussions they had during their talks. But even this didn’t relax the creative side, causing more worry for Janus. 

“Is that all?” Roman asked, and Janus really wanted to pry now. Had something happened between the boys? Surely Remus would have come and told him if they had gotten into a fight or one of them got hurt. But Remus had been in great spirits when he came home, telling Janus how great it was being able to play with his brother regularly again. Janus wanted to know more, but upon seeing the desperate plea in Roman’s eyes, he decided he would drop the topic, just for now. 

“That’s all.” Janus said, and watched as Roman let out the deep breath he had been holding, finally sinking into the chair, his face flushed but relieved, Janus wished he could feel the same way. He might have to ask Remus more about their time together. 

“Anything else on your mind?” Janus asked, folding his arms over his chest, watching Roman carefully. Roman was less fidgety now, but it was clear the conversation wasn’t over. He offered a small nod. 

“It’s hard for me to say.” He confessed, finally meeting Janus’s eyes. Janus could sense the truth in that statement, and that surge of pride that he’d been feeling recently around Roman flared up again. He nodded in understanding, before waving his hand in front of him, offering the other the room to speak and letting him know he would listen. Roman took a steadying breath, but it came out a bit shaky.

“I think I might age regress too.” He mumbled out, pulling away from the eye contact and staring at a stain on the floor from the time he and Remus had tracked paint into the room. Janus could easily send it away if he wanted, but explained he liked having the memory. Ever since that day Roman had been questioning his own actions. There had been a lot of times where he and Remus would be playing, and he would end up feeling so carefree and fuzzy headed. Whenever he was around Janus while he was in caregiver mode, it always gave him butterflies and a weird sense of longing that terrified Big Roman to no end. Roman was very insecure about this, because what if he was just copying Remus? Or was just faking it for attention? He’d never had these feelings before, so why now?

Janus’s first reaction to Roman’s words were, a bit selfishly, excitement at having been confirmed right. If it wasn’t so clear that Roman was struggling to share this with him, Janus might have summoned Remus up right then and there to demand his payment for winning the bet. He kept that excitement to himself though. His second reaction was to try and reassure Roman, which is the one he opted to act on. 

“That’s perfectly alright. Want to tell me how you realized?” He asked, unsure where Roman would want to take this conversation. He had never actually had to have a talk like this with Remus. Remus had been regressing since they were young, it was hard being a child and having to deal with such harsh thoughts as Remus did, so it had almost always been a part of their dynamic (Though Janus had never actually served as a proper caregiver until years into adulthood.) So he wasn’t sure exactly how to approach the subject with Roman. The other shrugged a bit at his question. 

“I just...I’ve been having a lot of fun playing with Remus...And I feel like how I used to before we were separated...And being around you…” Roman trailed off, his face heating up again before sighing. “I don’t know, it just makes my brain feel all weird. This is weird, right?” He asks, but Janus was quick to dissipate those concerns. 

“No, if that’s how you’re feeling, then it isn’t weird.” He explained, moving to stand up. He walked over to Roman and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with you age regressing.” Roman’s face heated up more, but he seemed to relax almost completely, as if he had been waiting the whole conversation to hear Janus say those words. He wasn’t sure he would be quite convinced of that completely, but it was good to hear it reinforced. He wasn’t weird, he could age regress, even if it seemed very different from Remus’s. 

“Do you want to tell me more about Little you, or is that about as much conversation as you can handle?” Janus asked. Roman honestly wanted to keep talking, but was suddenly feeling very shy. He could probably guess that he was close to regressing...again. If Janus could sense this, he didn’t say anything. 

“I have some work I need to do…” Roman admitted, and it wasn’t a lie, Janus could taste the tangy truth, but it was clear that there was something being unsaid that the deceptive side could not pick up on. He gave Roman’s shoulder one more reassuring squeeze before letting go. 

“Alright, Prince. But if you ever need my assistance, know that I am willing to help.” He explained, before squatting down just a bit, his knees protesting the action though he ignored the pain in them. “And for clarity’s sake, that means if you end up regressing, you can always come find me, alright?” He made sure his smile was sincere. Roman smiled back, just slightly, before nodding. Satisfied, Janus stood back up and stepped away just as Roman rose as well. 

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind…” Roman said, before exiting the room. Janus watched him with fondness as he left. He was so proud of him for opening up, such a brave little thing…

As soon as he was sure Roman was gone, Janus immediately summoned Remus, who appeared with a loud ‘Pop!’ 

“You absolutely don’t owe me five bucks.” Janus said, already holding his hand out to accept the money that was absolutely meaningless to them, but still served as a functional bragging ticket. Remus blinked for a second, still reeling from the fact that a second ago he had been in the Imagination working on a new playset for him and his brother, and now he was in Janus’s room. Summoning was something he was still getting used to. 

“What I do this time?” He asked, reaching into his pockets to pull out the money. “Did you find the jar of angry robot bees in the vent?”

“What?” Janus said, his voice growing stern, making Remus cackle in delight. 

“Just kidding!” Janus could taste the lie, but rolled his eyes. He would have to deal with that little prank later. The money was placed in his hand, though Janus hadn’t even explained what bet he had lost yet, suppose it was just a result of how much Remus trusted his word. 

“Care to tell me what happened in the Imagination earlier?” Janus asked, walking towards his dresser and placing the money in the top drawer under his socks. He had obtained quite a small stash over the years. Again, it was pointless, but a fun system all the same. Remus tilted his head a bit in confusion. 

“I already did tell you, Jane! We had a lot of fun!” Remus explained, suddenly plopping himself on Janus’s bed. Janus shut the drawer and approached him, sitting down beside Remus. 

“Nothing concerning happened?” He asked, looking over his friend’s face for a sign that something was amiss, and he immediately got it. Remus’s face twitched a bit, a clear sign that he was thinking over his words carefully, something that Remus did not do very often. Janus was patient though, knowing that Remus wouldn’t seriously consider lying to him (Not that he could and get away with it anyways). 

“Did Roman talk to you?” Remus asked, his voice quiet. Something had happened in the Imagination, but Remus wasn’t going to out his brother to Janus about something so personal, particularly because Roman had seemed very upset by it. He had promised not to tell, anyways. And Remus was very protective of secrets, though he couldn’t remember the last time he had had to keep one from Janus. 

“We had a bit of a chat, yes.” Janus explained. He continued to watch for a sign of how Remus was feeling, and could sense the worry emanating off of the other. He moved a hand towards Remus’s face, and he immediately leaned into it. 

“He told you about his...ya know…”

“Age regression?” Janus filled in for him, earning a nod from Remus. At least that confirmed for Janus that Remus knew and they could speak freely about it. Though he had collected his earnings for winning the bet, he hadn’t planned on mentioning Roman’s confession to Remus without knowing that the other knew as well. The last thing Janus wanted to do was break the other’s trust just when they were finally starting to build it. Plus, there was always the possibility that Roman wouldn’t want Remus to know, though that had seemed like a slim one considering Remus’s own regression is what caused Roman to realize his. 

For a second Janus wondered if learning about Roman’s age regression was the big secret that the boys were hiding from him. Maybe Remus had figured it out while they were playing and promised not to tell Janus? But then he noticed how tense Remus still was, and knew something else must have happened that neither twin wanted to discuss with him. Curiosity ate at him so much, but if neither boy was willing to talk about it, and it wasn’t something incredibly serious or dangerous, then he had no real reason to keep prying. 

“If something did happen...Just let Roman know he could always talk to me about it, okay?” He said, gently caressing Remus’s cheek just a bit before pulling away. Remus nodded, before quickly standing up. 

“Is that all? ‘Cause I was working on a cool playset for me and Roman to play on when I’m...We? Are little!” He exclaimed, suddenly bouncing on his feet a bit and snapping happily. “Wanna come see?” He asked. Janus thought a moment, before standing up. 

“I better, someone ought to make sure that it’s actually safe to play on.” He reasoned, though it was mostly just an excuse to stay at Remus’s side, neither one ever really wanting to be separated for too long from one another. Remus seemed to buzz with excitement, before the both started towards his room to head into the imagination.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus has been regressing younger and younger recently, and Janus gets worried when Roman still has come to him while regressed. However, a week and a half after the incident in the imagination, Janus suddenly finds himself with two little boys to watch over. Everything goes fine, until it really really doesn't 
> 
> +++
> 
> Warnings: Crying, Roman and Remus get into a bit of a fight, Roman says and thinks some really mean things about his own and Remus's regression so do take care of yourself while reading that, timeouts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will try not to make you wait long for the next chapter <3

After Roman had admitted to being an age regressor, Janus had begun to wonder how long it would be before he got to meet the little himself. He had told Roman he could seek out his company if he wanted, and had kind of assumed he would, but it had been a week and a half at this point. Janus had managed to pick up on a few hints that Roman was regressing on his own or strictly when he was playing with Remus on their own. Janus didn’t mind that they were regressed together, though he would have preferred to be around when they did, never really comfortable with the idea that there wasn’t an adult minded person to watch after Remus. 

Janus was considering seeking Roman out, just to check in on him, but Remus had regressed today, and he was at the littlest end of his age range. He had been regressing smaller and smaller all week, in fact. It had left Janus very uneasy, not knowing what was causing him to feel smaller, and Remus refused to talk about it. They didn’t keep secrets from one another, ever, so the fact that something seemed to be bothering Remus enough to need the comforts of being extra small, it made Janus quite uneasy. But it was something he would have to discuss with Big Remus. Right now, he was dealing with Baby Remus. 

Remus was sitting on the floor of his room in a green onesie and black overall shorts (He had fallen in love with overalls ever since his painting session with Roman, and Janus was quick to indulge in that love, finding the outfit positively adorable.) He was scribbling on a large piece of paper Janus had set out on the bedroom floor, with a cartoon playing on his TV, and Sucker guarding his crayons. Janus was walking around the room, trying to straighten up the mess that always seemed to accumulate. Adult Remus hated when Janus cleaned his room because ‘It’s how I like it!’ but toddler Remus didn’t seem to care, so Janus took the opportunity whenever he could. 

He was just in the process of wiping down Remus’s large mirror that was covered in God knows what, when there was a small rapping at the door. Janus looked over at Remus, who was either ignoring the knocking or hadn’t heard it. Janus walked over to Remus, prepared to hide his little in case it was Patton, Logan or Virgil, since the three still didn’t know about their dynamic. “Who is it?” He called out, listening closely for an answer. 

At first none came, and Janus began to assume that whoever had knocked had left upon hearing Janus. But then the door slowly began to open. Janus was quick to shield Remus from the view of whoever was coming in but then he relaxed when he saw it was Roman. 

“Ah, Roman. It’s good to see you.” Janus said, stepping aside when the door was shut behind the other. Remus looked up at the mention of his brother, his pacifier bobbing in his mouth. 

“Bubby!” He mumbled excitedly around it. Roman smiled a bit, offering a small wave, before he looked over at Janus. 

“Wanted to see if Remus wanted to play.” He explained, and if he was trying to hide that he was regressed, he was doing a very poor job at it. Janus noticed immediately, perhaps only by nature of his caregiver role. He nodded softly. Of course, he wouldn’t bring attention to it unless Roman made it more obvious or talked about it himself. He didn’t want to pressure the boy into sharing or doing anything he wasn’t comfortable with yet. 

“He’s a bit too young to go on an adventure, I’m afraid.” Janus said, and he almost missed the small pout that formed on Roman’s face. Almost. “Perhaps you would like to stay and help him draw? I’m sure he’d love the company, right baby?” Janus asked, squatting down to be closer to Remus’s face, his knees popping just slightly. Remus nodded heavily, moving to sit up on his own knees and hold out the crayon box. 

“‘Color!” He shouted, the pacifier falling from his mouth. Janus was quick to pick it back up, wiping it on his capelet before popping it back in the little’s mouth. He looked back at Roman, who seemed very hesitant. 

“I don’t know…” Roman mumbled, looking between Janus and Remus, confliction evident in his eyes. Janus stood back up, walking towards Roman. 

“It’s up to you, Roman. If nothing else, you and I can always sit on the bed and chat while Remus plays on the floor.” He offered, allowing Roman to decide if he wanted to be Big with Janus or Little with Remus. He wished the creative side would be more open about his regression, since Janus wasn’t sure if he should coddle the boy or leave him alone. If this was Remus and he was hesitant about being little, Janus would help ease him down into headspace by using pet names or helping him do small things. He wasn’t sure if Roman would be receptive to those kinds of things. 

Roman seemed to consider his options. He definitely wanted to stay and hang with his brother, he was on the verge of dropping and he always tried to make sure he was with Remus when it happened, though it had only happened a few other times. But Janus was here, and that made him very wary. He bit his lip a bit. 

“Will you be upset?” He asked, looking down at Janus. Janus immediately put on an exaggerated face of offence. 

“Oh absolutely. I loathe the idea of you coloring with you brother.” He teased, earning a small giggle from Roman and, oh no, he was an adorable little. Janus wasn’t sure his heart would be able to stand it. He gently patted Roman’s arm. Roman quickly recovered a bit, his face turning a light pink, before he moved towards Remus. 

“What are you drawing?” He asked, sitting down on the floor across from Remus. Janus decided he would return to cleaning to allow the boys a moment to themselves, though he kept his ears trained on the conversation. 

“Mons’er, grrr.” Remus growled playfully, pointing at the purple scribbles in the corner of the page. He turned his head towards Roman, seeking approval for his drawing. Roman hid his laugh behind his hand, before he reached over for the coloring box Remus had set down. He began pulling out different colors, before laying on his stomach like Remus to draw. 

It was like that for a while. Janus finished cleaning Remus’s room to the best of his abilities, and decided he would just sit in the bed and read while the two drew together. Just as he was getting settled though, he heard a small whine coming Roman. 

“Stay on your own side, Rem.” Roman said, pushing at the pink crayon that had made its way over to Roman’s art. Remus pouted slightly. 

“Pink!” Remus insisted, trying to color on Roman’s side of the paper again. Roman huffed and pushed himself away from the drawing entirely. Janus was looking over them, his eyes narrowing just a bit in confusion and concern. Roman started to stand up and crossed his arms with a loud grunt, which caused Remus to stand too, though he wobbled a bit as he did. He was still quite young and deep in his headspace, causing him to feel a bit unsteady. 

“You gonna leave?” Remus asked tearfully, already reaching a hand out to try and protest the action. Janus was about to step in there, not wanting his baby to break down but also not wanting to force Roman to stay if he didn’t want to, but then Roman was suddenly shaking his head. 

“No, but I wanna do something else.” He said, the irritation still in his voice. He spared a look over at Janus, before getting embarrassed a bit, unfolding his arms a bit as he realized how his actions would look. He turned his attention back to Remus, trying to ignore the fact that Janus was there entirely. 

“Wha’ wanna play?” Remus asked, and Roman rolled his eyes a bit at the childish infliction of his words. In fact, he was growing more and more resentful of how young Remus seemed to be. 

“Let’s play Prince and Thieves!” Roman exclaimed. It was a game they had made up years ago, which mostly just consisted of Remus ‘stealing’ something and Roman chasing him around until he either gave up the item or they wore each other out. Remus started to nod, but Janus was quick to interject. 

“Roman, I think he’s too little to play that.” He explained, standing up from the bed. He walked over just as Remus was shaking his head. 

“No! No, I big!” He insisted, emphasizing his point by taking the pacifier out of his mouth and putting it in his pocket. Janus stared at him suspiciously. He knew it was a lie, and Remus never lied to him. It was really starting to wear on Janus a bit. He opened his mouth to protest further, but Roman interrupted him. 

“He’s big, see. We can play.” He said, already looking around the room that could be the thing Remus steals. Janus’s frowned deepend. 

“Remus, sweetheart.” Janus said sweetly, hiding the bit of concern he was feeling. Remus turned towards his caregiver, shaking his head. 

“Big, Jan! No baby, play!” He whined, wiping some of the tears that were falling from his eyes. That was the biggest indicator that Remus was, in fact, actually baby. Janus tried to pull Remus into a hug, but he pulled away, stumbling a bit and running into Roman.

“Uhg, careful!” Roman yelled as he dropped a toy he’d been inspecting for the game. Roman wasn’t trying to be mean to Remus, but he was feeling quite irritable. He just wanted both of them to be big so that they could play together, so why did Remus have to go and be all small today? Roman had been trying to get Remus to play with him all week, but he was always too little or with Janus. Roman felt the frustrations build in him more and more, and all he could think about was how upset he was feeling. Not to mention the pang of jealousy he was refusing to acknowledge. He just wanted to be big and play with his brother, why did he have to go and be regressed? 

Suddenly, in an act that one would describe as ‘brainless’, Roman found he could not contain his frustrations with himself anymore. He could hear Remus attempting to apologize, but Roman didn’t care. He just needed to get his emotions out. Roman would have described it as a volcano exploding. 

Most would have described his actions as a temper tantrum. 

“Why can’t you just be big!? Why do you have to be such a baby!?” Roman accused, his eyes closed as he yelled. It felt kind of good, being able to yell like that. It felt like a relief to finally let out all of the anger and hurt that had been building up in him since their trip to the Imagination. The catharsis was very short lived though, quickly replaced by guilt when he opened his eyes again and saw Remus staring back at him, eyes wide and wet. At first, Roman wasn’t sure how his brother would respond. Wondered if maybe he would yell back and they would start fighting. But Roman couldn’t even see how he would respond, because suddenly Janus was standing in front of him. His eyes were not angry, to Roman’s surprise, but rather disappointed, which was actually much much worse. 

“Roman Sanders, go sit in the Cool Down Chair.” Janus said, his voice low, but sympathetic. Roman immediately felt tears begin to prick his own eyes as he was slightly scolded by Janus. 

“But I’m not--” 

“Big or Little, I don’t care. We do NOT talk to our loved ones like that.” His tone was now a bit more stern, and Roman could feel the full effects of that. He might have been able to convince himself earlier that he wasn’t regressing, that he had just wanted to play with his brother. But now he had dropped hard, and as he walked over towards the chair that sat in the corner, he couldn’t stop the tears that were flowing down his face. 

Janus watched Roman carefully. Of course, he wanted to confront the boy. Find out what had caused the little outburst and figure out what the actual heck was going on between these two. This was not something that had started just today, this had to be something that had been building up. Firstly though, he needed to check on Remus. He turned around to face the little, looking up at him. 

However, he was no longer looking at his little, but rather his heartbroken looking friend. 

Remus rarely forced himself out of headspace. He didn’t enjoy doing it, it usually left him very groggy and upset. But this had become all too much all at once for Remus, and he couldn’t be little anymore. Firstly, it hurt. It hurt that there was a part of Roman that did not like baby Remus. That he was somehow resentful enough to yell at him. Secondly, he knew exactly why Roman was acting out like this, and he had been hiding it for a while from Janus. Not that he wanted to, he had wanted to tell him the moment it happened, but Roman had made him promise, had insisted that it wasn’t that big of a deal and if they involved Janus it would only make things worse. And Remus had believed him. 

But Roman was hurting, and Remus was hurting. Enough was enough. 

“We need to talk.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janus needs to know what happened in the Imagination, it is clearly affecting the twins deeply, enough to cause them to fight. Roman finally agrees to let Remus explain what happened, and we get a flashback into the events of what happed in the Imagination. 
> 
> +++
> 
> Warnings: Crying, yelling, fighting. If additional warnings need added please let me know!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're close to the end! Thank you for enjoying this story! I will try and get the next chapter up tomorrow! 
> 
> If there are any glaring spelling or grammar errors, don't hesitate to point them out! Also, I thrive off comments, even very small ones, so if you're feeling up to it I would appreciate it <3

Janus walked over to Roman, mindful that the boy seemed very sensitive. He was trying to brush away the tears that continued to fall down his face. When he noticed Janus approaching, his crying only seemed to grow worse. His lip wobbled, and he couldn’t look the other in the eyes. Janus bent down low so that he sat lower than Roman, forcing the boy to look down on him. 

“You’ve had a lot on your mind, haven’t you, dear Prince?” Janus asked quietly. Roman nodded weakly. Janus gently cupped Roman’s cheek and wiped away some of the tears with his thumb. Roman immediately leaned into the soft touch, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. 

“Remus tells me you two have a secret. He doesn’t want to upset you by breaking it, but I think that’s it important that I know. I don’t want to see you hurting like this.” Janus’s tone was so sweet and kind, Roman couldn’t remember a time when anyone had talked to him like that, full of love and care. It made it harder not to cry, knowing that Janus was being so caring towards him when he feels he didn’t deserve it. He moved his own hand up to press against the hand cradling him, just a bit afraid that it might be taken away at any moment. 

“Can he tell me what happened in the Imagination when you two went swimming?” Janus asked, knowing that Remus would only be comfortable sharing if he had Roman’s explicit permission to do so. Roman glanced over at his twin, who was awkwardly sitting on Janus’s bed. Remus was still barely keeping himself together, playing with the buckles on his overalls and trying to pretend like he wasn’t listening in on the other two. Roman could feel that guilt pang in his chest again at what he had said, before looking back at Janus. Despite his guilt though, fear was more prevalent in his mind, so he quickly shook his head no, worried that his voice would not work if he tried to speak. 

Janus didn’t get upset, simply continued to brush his thumb over Roman’s cheek. He wished he could make this easier for Roman, wished he could take his insecurities and fears and release them. It was hard seeing him so hurt. Months ago Janus never would have predicted they would find themselves like this, or find himself caring so much for Roman. He sighed a bit, before standing up straighter. He didn’t move his hand away from Roman, but he whimpered all the same, holding the hand tighter against him, hoping to signal that he didn’t want Janus to leave him. 

“Is there a reason why you don’t want me to know?” Janus asked, his patience strong but his concern deepening. He wanted Roman’s consent to talk about it, of course. But it was getting to the point where the secret being kept was doing more harm than anything. He used his free hand to lift Roman’s chin up, hoping to maintain the eye contact they had established. But suddenly Roman was pulling away, letting Janus’s hand go so that he was no longer being held. 

“It’s...too much.” Roman admitted in a voice that indicated to Janus that he might be trying to force himself to age up. Roman wiped at his eyes again, the flow finally seeming to stop. “I don’t want to think about it.” He confessed. Janus opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a very upset Remus. 

“You can’t just ignore it!” Remus’s voice was loud and bordered on yelling, but he wasn’t as sure about whether Roaman was still in headspace or not as Janus was, so he didn’t want to actually yell at Roman if he was still just a kid. But Remus felt like yelling, he wanted to scream. He was tired of pretending like nothing had happened that left that both feeling very insecure and hurt. He had denied himself seeking comfort just because he didn’t want to upset Roman by telling Janus, but he was hurt too! “I’m gonna tell him.” Was Remus’s final word on the matter, standing up as if to emphasize his point. 

“N-No!” Roman yelled, also standing up, causing Janus to stumble backwards a bit. “Don’t tell, you promised!” It was a plea and a whine all wrapped in one. Remus stalked over towards the two. 

“You made me promise something I didn’t want to keep!” He was glaring down at Roman, but the wetness in his eyes gave way to his real emotions. He was angry, sure, but he was more sad than anything. 

“It shouldn’t matter! It shouldn’t bother us!” Roman accused, but even he was unconvinced by his own words. He closed his eyes, and crossed his arms, gripping onto his sleeves like a lifeline. “It shouldn’t bother me!” 

Suddenly, Roman was back in the chair, his tears falling once more. Janus had stepped in between Roman and Remus, not worried that things would get physical, but more worried that something like this would happen. He glanced up at Remus a moment, watching as the other calmed down a bit. Janus gently patted Remus’s chest, signalling for him to step back. He sighed and complied, going back towards the bed and sitting down on it, his head hanging low. 

Janus approached Roman once more. It was hard to tell if this was Big Roman or Little Roman, but truthfully, the difference didn’t matter at this point. This was affecting all aspects of him, and Remus too. And it needed to be solved now. Janus gently helped the creative side to free himself from the tight hug he was giving himself. Roman allowed himself to be coaxed into a standing position and then led over to the bed by Janus. The deceptive side sat down beside Remus, who was quick to lay his head on his friend’s shoulder. Janus patted the spot on the other side of himself, signaling for Roman to sit down. Roman didn’t hesitate anymore, settling on the bed and copying his brother’s position, resting his head on Janus. That’s how they sat for a few minutes, Janus summoning another pair of arms to gently play with the twin’s hair, while his usual set held one of each of their hands. 

“It’s scary.” Roman spoke up without warning, causing the other two in the room to glance at him. “Feeling this vulnerable...this weak. I thought...I guess I thought when I regressed it was just going to be something for fun. That I would only do it when I was enjoying myself, and then when I needed to be serious I would just come out of it.” He shook his head a bit. “I didn’t realize how deep I could get...How scared I could feel. I never want to feel scared.” The confession was quiet, barely a whisper as Roman spoke, and only growing softer as he went on. When he was done speaking, he sat up a bit and looked at the other two. Janus’s eyes were a bit confused though still kind, but Remus’s held complete understanding. He knew exactly what Roman meant. 

“It is scary.” Remus spoke just as quietly. “Especially when things out of our control happen.” He said, before reaching over, stealing Roman’s hand away from Janus and giving it three little squeezes. Roman laughed slightly, feeling a bit silly. He was supposed to be the hero, the one who made people happy. But it felt nice, knowing that these two were willing to be that person for him. 

“Can I tell him what happened?” Remus asked. Roman at first shrugged, and Remus was about to let it go. He had meant his threat earlier that he would tell Janus, whether Roman liked it or not, but he could always wait until after Roman was gone to save him a bit of the stress. 

“Sure...But it feels really silly, reacting like this over something so…” Roman trailed off, wanting to say it wasn’t a big deal. He wanted it to slide off his shoulders and for him not to care. But he did, he cared so much about what happened and it had been plaguing his mind since. He let the sentence end with a sigh, and elected to just lay his head back on Janus’s shoulders, an action the side allowed. 

“It was a big deal. I was upset too.” Remus said, before sitting up a bit straighter, looking at Janus. “But you have to stay here with us when I tell you. No matter how much you might want to try and fix things.” He added. Janus, of course, frowned. If he could fix it, he absolutely would want to. But he nodded anyways, assuring the twins that he would be right here for them. With that promise, Remus began to recall what had happened to them in the Imagination. 

+++

“Can I tell you something?” Roman asked. They were both sitting on the beach, having just gotten out of the water to warm up a bit, both of their lips a slightly blue color. Roman wrapped the towel around his shoulders a little bit tighter, though for warmth or for comfort, it wasn’t quite clear. Remus was laying next to him piling sand up onto his stomach and watching it roll off the sides. 

“Yeah! I got my listenin’ ears on!” Remus said warmly, smiling up at Roman, though it disappeared quickly when he noticed Roman’s frown. The twin sat up, letting the loose sand fall off of him and ignoring the bit that clung to his skin. “You wanna talk to Big me?” He asked, but Roman quickly shook his head. 

“No, I know you don’t like forcing yourself to age up.” Roman said. He began biting his thumbnail, staring out into the ocean. He just needed to say it, he doubted Remus would judge him or anything. 

“I think I maybe age regress too.” He mumbled out, still not meeting Remus’s eyes. Well, he hadn’t planned to anyway, but then two palms were suddenly grabbing his face, and Remus turned Roman’s head towards him, a giant grin on his face and his eyes sparkling. 

“Really?!” He asked, unable to hide his excitement. “How long have you known? How little are you? Are you little now? Do you have someone watchin’ you?” Remus could not stop the onslaught of questions he had for Roman, and it managed to make the creative side laugh a bit, relaxing. He hadn’t needed to worry about telling Remus, he would always be accepting of Roman, no matter what. He pulled away from Remus’s hands that were now squeezing his cheeks just a bit too tightly. 

“I don’t know, I don’t know anything about it yet, I haven’t really tried it much.” He explained, and that seemed to only make Remus buzz more with excitement. He hadn’t really entertained the idea that Roman might be a regressor like him, but now that it was out there it was exhilarating. Because it meant they could play together and go on adventures and it could just be like old times. He began to flap his hands wildly one they were released from Roman’s face. 

“Can you do it on your own?” By the question, Remus was trying to gauge if Roman could choose when he is little or not. Remus was aware that for some people, regression was strictly involuntary. Remus was a good mix of voluntary and involuntary, most of his involuntary episodes being caused by stress. 

However, Roman seemed a bit confused by the phrasing and flushed a bit, looking away from his brother. “I don’t need anyone watching me…” He mumbled. Remus blinked a moment, since that hadn’t been an answer to the question he had, but then shrugged. 

“I don’t either, usually. But Jan still watches me!” He said, smiling brightly. “He’s like a Mom but better and with more arms and scales.” He mused, before kicking his feet slightly, trying to get the energy out of him. Roman nodded in understanding, but didn’t want to say anything more. 

“Do you want to regress now? We can get back in the water and play Sharks!” Remus suggested. 

“I dunno...Is it weird if I can just decide to do it?” He asked. He understood that age regression was meant to be a coping mechanism, and Roman didn’t really feel like he needed to cope with anything right now. Though the idea of letting go, letting his head fill with the fuzziness he had been feeling the last few times they had played together, it was really tempting. He liked that it meant he didn’t have to think about work or obligations, at least for a little bit anyways. He could just be small and have fun. It made him feel a bit insecure that his own regression was so different from Remus’s, he would be more willing to accept it himself if it was more similar. But Remus hardly seemed to care, shown in the way he shrugged his shoulders. 

“I don’t think it’s weird. I think it’s cool!” He said, before finally standing up, shaking his whole body to get rid of the sand that stuck to him. “It probably means that you can come outta it quicker, which is good when you gotta be big and stuff. I can’t do that good.” Remus explained before holding out a hand, offering to help Roman up as well. Roman took the extended hand and pulled himself in a standing position, also shaking his body to get the sand off him. 

“And, you won’t be upset if I’m not Big?” Roman asked, looking for that final holdout, just in case Remus didn’t actually want him to be little right now. Remus thrived on attention from those who are watching him. Roman wasn’t sure how he would behave if there was no longer an adult nearby to praise him or give him attention. But once more, Remus was shaking his head to dispel any reason why Roman shouldn’t be small right now. 

“I mean, I could get Janus to watch us…” Remus suggested. In truth, no, he didn’t want to be alone without someone big with him. Perhaps he was getting a bit spoiled with all the attention he’s been getting by having two people to watch over him, it meant that anytime he was little, he almost never had to be alone. 

“D-don’t get Janus. I don’t know how...I don’t know if…” Roman couldn’t say it, didn’t know if Remus would understand. Roman knew that Janus would accept him, just as Remus had. But then it would bring up more complicated questions that Roman didn’t want to think about. He let out a small sigh. “Can it just be us for now? I will talk to him about it soon.” He promised, and that seemed to satisfy Remus. 

“Kay! Now get small, I wanna plaaaay.” Remus drug out the last word as he ran back towards the water. If Roman was big, he might have tried to stop Remus, pointing out that his lips were still blue. But...Roman didn’t have to be big right now. With the confirmation that Remus was okay with him being little, it didn’t take long at all for Roman to slip down and let himself be playful. He ran towards the water after Remus, ignoring the chill in his body in favor of jumping into the water and swimming after Remus. 

They played for a few more hours, both in the water and on the beach. Remus made sure to take a picture of the sandcastle they had built together so that they could show it off later if they wanted to. Remus was laying on the beach towel he had, trying to stifle a yawn. It was close to around 4 pm at this point, and he really wanted to take a nap. 

Roman was having the exact opposite problem. 

He couldn’t sit still. He had whined loudly when Remus said he wanted to get out, but begrudgingly followed his brother. They were both regressed to about the same age, somewhere between 6-8. He wanted to keep playing, but felt a bit uncomfortable playing by himself, he didn’t really know how to. So he sat with a pout next to Remus, who was beginning to doze off. He looked around the beach area, hoping to find something that could entertain him. 

His eyes eventually landed on a large rock that was near the edge of the water. It was big enough to climb if one was willing enough, and Roman absolutely was. He bounced a bit in his seat before leaning over towards Remus. 

“I’m gonna go climb that rock!” He said with excitement. Remus mumbled an unintelligible response, curling up a bit more to settle into his nap. Roman giggled a bit before throwing his towel over Remus’s shoulders as a blanket. The boy hummed in appreciation just as Roman was standing up and running towards the structure. When Roman got to it, the challenge seemed a bit more daunting. It wasn’t like the thing was very big compared to him, it would probably just take a bit of climbing. No that wasn’t the scary thing, the scary thing was how small Roman suddenly felt. He could practically hear in the back of his mind a voice that eerily sounded like Janus’s, scolding him and telling him not to climb on the rock. But he pushed that aside. 

Climbing up, as Roman had suspected, was relativity easy. Once he was on the rock he sat on its flat top, staring out over the water. He could see for miles! In the distance he saw ships that belonged to Remus, he loved exploring the ocean. When he turned around, he could see his side of the Imagination, and his castle, far far away. He smiled, before standing up on the rock, just so he could feel higher. He giggled again, feeling very brave for having made his way up here. He then looked back down--

And all that bravery seeped out of him. 

He was so high up. He quickly scrambled to lay flat on the rock, but that didn’t seem to make him feel any safer. Had the rock gotten taller? He shook a bit, immediately wanting down off the structure, but he couldn’t will up the nerve to climb down. 

He was stuck. 

He closed his eyes, unable to stare at the ground anymore. It wasn’t like the fall would be all that bad, and he had just managed to get himself up there! But it was suddenly feeling like too big of a task for him, and that left him feeling a bit scared. He tried to age up, because Big him could certainly climb down all on his own, but he was having a hard time forcing it, fear gripping his heart and holding him firm in littlespace, which only managed to make Roman more afraid. He let out a small whimper, but knew it wouldn’t be loud enough to wake Remus. He knew he could try and summon someone, but the Core sides wouldn’t understand why he couldn’t get down and Janus…

Roman was suddenly full on crying at the thought of Janus. He would be so disappointed in him, he bet. Regressing with Remus without telling him, then getting stuck up on a stupid rock. It made Roman feel rather overwhelmed thinking about it, which was not helping his situation. The smallest part of him really wanted Janus though, really wanted the other to help him down and then tell him he was so silly for climbing up there, and then cuddling him close, just like he did with Remus. He wasn’t sure if he was allowed to have that though, didn’t even know how to ask. All of these complicated feelings were making him feel younger and younger, and all he could do was cry while he laid on the rock, trying to force himself to be just a bit louder so maybe Remus would hear him. 

Remus did hear the cries, though at first he assumed that he was dreaming, because that sounded far too much like his brother, and Roman never ever cried! But when Remus lifted one sleepy lid to check on his brother, and saw that he wasn’t there, he was immediately sitting up, looking around. 

“Ro?” He called out, and then the crying became prominent in his ears. He turned towards the direction, and could see the rock in the distance. Remus was quick to run over, nervously tugging at his lip as he got closer. 

When Roman noticed his brother coming his cries became almost ones of relief. He tried to sit up, but found even that much motion made his head dizzier.

“What’s wrong?” Remus asked when he finally got close enough, looking up at Roman with concern. Remus was still regressed, but he was on the verge of aging up out of sheer concern. He reached a hand up towards Roman as a comforting gesture, and his twin held it tightly. 

“Stuck!” Roman cried. “Want Janus.” He said. Remus nodded heavily, squeezing his brother’s hand three times. 

“Summon him! He’ll come and help you!” Remus explained. Roman must have regressed really young if he didn’t think he could get down from the rock, and Remus was still feeling small himself, unsure how he could really help Roman down. Plus, Remus knew first hand that sometimes little’s just wanted someone Big to make things easier. 

“C-Can’t.” Roman admittedly meekly. “Too little…” Roman wasn’t sure he remembered how to summon, and that was also terrifying. Why did being regressed come with all these terrifying feelings? He felt weak and vulnerable, and he couldn’t do things he normally could. It was terrifying.

“Okay, Bubby. I can do it.” It wasn’t a lie necessarily, but Remus had only just learned how to summon and be summoned, considering it was something he never really needed before his acceptance by Thomas. He closed his eyes, trying to summon Janus to come help Roman. 

With a small woosh, the two heard someone rise up. Except, it hadn’t been exactly who Remus had wanted. 

“What...is going on?” Virgil asked, staring at the twins.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janus finally learns what happens in the Imagination, and now they must decide how they will handle it. 
> 
> The story starts in a flashback. Flashback ends after the (+++)
> 
> +++
> 
> Warnings: Crying, a bit Unsympathetic Virgil (The story explains why he acts that way, but it really isn't a good enough excuse, and the characters aren't aware of his reasonings anyways). If more are needed please let me know!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AH it's DONE. I'm sorry for taking so long, it took forever to write the Virgil stuff because I felt really bad ;-; I promise I make up for it at the end with a very cute scene so I hope that people like that <3
> 
> I got quite a few comments mentioning the Virgil reveal, and all I can say is I hope it meets your expectations. AGAIN let me warn that Virgil is not very nice in the story. I tried to show his reasoning of WHY he's mean, but that doesn't mean it's okay, and as a reminder the characters are UNAWARE of Virgil's internal battles, so as far as they can tell, he's just being a jerk. If people would like me to up the ante from "a bit unsympathetic" to "outright unsympathetic" please let me know so that I can tag this properly. I don't want people reading this and being triggered or hurt by a comfort character being mean or anything like that 
> 
> I thrive on comments, so if leave one I will literally melt forever <3 
> 
> Thank you for reading this story, and once again, thanks for the 100 Kudos on "Roman's First Encounter with Little Remus"!!

It took Roman and Remus both a second to realize what had happened. Somehow, probably due to lack of practice, Remus had summoned Virgil. The anxious side was staring at them with a confused and a bit annoyed expression. 

"Are you...crying?" Virgil asked when he finally got a good look at Roman, his face growing a little bit softer upon seeing the tears. Roman sniffled and shook his head, trying to stop himself and willing his brain to let him be Big. Because Virgil was not supposed to see him like this! This was the last thing that Roman wanted, to be found crying like a baby on a rock that he should be able to get down from. Why was regressing so easy but coming up a million times harder? He laid his head down in his arm so that he didn’t have to see Virgil, taking the ostrich approach. 

"He needs help down…" Remus said, trying to summon up the courage to talk to Virgil. He too wasn't able to age up, but he wasn't exactly trying anymore either. He didn’t have the same fear of being seen as little, mostly because everyone just viewed him as childish anyways. So, he elected to stay small and try and get Virgil to help his brother, because that’s what mattered most right now. 

"Well how'd he get up there?" Virgil asked, a playful smirk on his face that no one seemed to match. "Seems to me if he got up there, he should be able to get himself down." Virgil was only teasing, that’s what he and Roman did, they joked and jabbed with each other, though it usually wasn’t serious. But neither of the twins picked up on it, nor did they swing back with some nickname or witty come back. In fact, Remus looked rather serious, or as serious as he could while wearing swimming trunks with octopi on them. And Roman...Roman was still obviously crying and trying to hide it. 

Virgil cleared his throat a bit, feeling a bit anxious that neither of them were sparring back with him. Why were they acting weird? "If he needs down, why didn't you just summon stairs or something?" Virgil asked, and with the wave of his wrist, a purple set of stairs appeared by the rock. Remus's eyes grew wide. 

"Oh! Duh!" Remus said, playfully hitting himself in the head. He squeezed Roman’s hand again. “You can come down now!” He exclaimed. 

Roman looked over at the stairs, trying with everything in him to summon up the courage to stand up and just walk down them. But even that task seemed like too much. What if he wobbled and fell off? What if the stairs weren’t sturdy and he tripped and fell? He began to shake his head no, only because he knew he wouldn't be able to talk, especially not with Virgil looking at him like that. 

“Geez, are you actually scared?” Virgil asked, his teasing bordering on a bit insulting at this point. Mostly he just didn’t understand why Roman was acting like a child, and why Remus was...well he supposed Remus wasn’t being all that weird compared to his normal antics, but Virgil could tell something was certainly off. He didn’t fail to miss Roman shake his head no at his question, but still made no effort to move, and while Virgil didn’t have Janus’s powers to detect lying, he wasn’t an idiot either. 

“Just get down Roman, I’m really not in the mood for your dramatics.” Virgil said with a slight eye roll. Though he could physically see Roman’s fear, he couldn’t fathom why he was acting like this. He did feel a bit upset that his friend seemed to be hurting, but Roman was prone to exaggeration as it was. So Virgil didn’t take it very seriously. Besides, Virgil had created the stairs. It should have been easy for him to get down. At this point, he had to be playing it up for some reason, but to Virgil’s annoyance. 

Remus glared at Virgil slightly. “He’s scared, not dramatic!” He reminded Virgil, who was being rather rude, if one were to ask him. He heard his brother whine and watched him shake his head, still denying that he was scared. Remus’s face softened a bit at the reminder that Roman was still very much stuck, and Virgil and the stairs were not helping. Remus looked back at Virgil and spoke again, a bit of desperation in his voice. 

“W-will you summon Janus?” He whispered quietly, feeling a lump forming in his throat. Janus would help, and be understanding. And the boy was begging to feel awful about the whole situation. Virgil wasn’t helping, and his presence was stressing Roman out. He just wanted his caregiver to fix this, because he always knew how to fix it. However, Remus watched as Virgil’s face grew hard and angry at the mention of Janus, and he internally began to scold himself for asking.

“Why? Can’t anyone in this brain solve a problem without him?” Virgil asked bitterly. The anxious side hadn’t taken Janus’s acceptance all that well.. And it seemed like everywhere he turned, someone was seeking Janus out. Even Roman, who Virgil had thought had been on his side about the whole situation, had suddenly begun hanging out with Janus more and more. Virgil wasn’t jealous, of course. But it ticked him off to no end. Without thinking, Virgil was suddenly approaching the rock. “Roman, get down.” His tone was harsh, taking his frustrations out on Roman just a bit. Despite the slight worry he had for Roman, he couldn’t deny that his anger with him was far greater for siding with Janus. 

Roman spared a glance up at Virgil, and instantly regretted it, because he could see how angry he was. His breathing hitched, because this was absolutely becoming too much. He was far too small to handle this. He looked over at Remus, his eyes full of questions and pleas, and Remus seemed to not understand them. He just wanted this all to stop. His brain just kept racing with thoughts over and over. I can’t do anything, I’m scared, I want Janus…

“Why?!” Came Virgil’s accusatory tone, making Roman realizing he must have said that last bit out loud. “All you DO is hang out with Janus anymore! It’s like you’ve forgotten who your real friends are! He isn’t going to solve all your problems for you.” With that final statement, Roman felt the rock beneath him suddenly moving. He shrieked in fear, holding onto it for dear life, only to notice that it was getting smaller and smaller, until he was suddenly so close to the ground, he could roll off of it safely. He did so immediately, rolling off and into the sand and water. He gasped for breath, as if he had been holding it. He moved a fist into his hair to help ground him as he slowly tried to even his breathing. 

“What is wrong with you?” Remus suddenly yelled, sending Virgil a dark look that made him go just a bit pale. Roman could immediately tell that Remus was no longer regressed, and it made him feel incredibly at fault, even though realistically it wasn’t. “He was SCARED! Is that how you treat friends when they’re frightened?”

To his credit, Virgil immediately began to look guilty. He had let his emotions get the better of him and he took it out on Roman. But that didn’t mean he was okay with the accusation coming from Remus, of all people. Virgil stood his ground just a bit. “I didn’t mean--” He didn’t mean to hurt Roman, but he didn’t owe that apology to Remus. “You’re probably the reason he got stuck up there in the first place!” Virgil deflected as he tried to walk closer to Roman, hoping to apologize, but Remus blocked his way. 

“I think you should leave.” Remus said, hoping to spare his brother from whatever else Virgil was planning on saying or doing. Virgil rolled his eyes. 

“You’re the one who summoned me here in the first place!” He pointed out, trying to push past Remus, but still be blocked. 

“And that was a mistake!” In more ways than one, Remus thought bitterly. 

“So first you trick Roman into hanging out with you all the time, now you’re not letting him see his friend, you wanna know what you sound like right now?” Virgil spat, and it got the desired outcome he wanted. Remus tensed up, going still. He didn’t know how to respond to that, even if he knew it wasn’t true. Even if he knew Virgil was just saying things he didn’t mean out of anger. He didn’t resist when Virgil pushed past him this time. Virgil didn’t have to walk far though, Roman had already began to make his way over. 

“Roman…” Virgil started, looking him over. He wasn’t crying anymore, and though Virgil couldn’t see the signs, he wasn’t regressed anymore either. Roman looked down at his friend, a small frown on his face. “Roman I’m sor-”

“I’m sorry too, Virgil.” Roman said, cutting him off. “Let’s just forget about it.” He said, before a very faint smile crossed over his face. Virgil was very eager to let the whole thing go, but Remus suddenly spoke up. 

“Forget about it? He was a B-Hole to you and you just wanna forget about it!” Remus didn’t bother to also remind Roman that Virgil had been a jerk to him too. 

“Yes.” Roman said, a bit harshly. “I just want to move on. Pretend like this whole thing didn’t happen.” He didn’t meet his brother’s eyes, before looking back at Virgil. “Can we?”

“Sure…” Virgil said, smiling a bit himself. “I’ll pretend you didn’t get stuck on a small rock...and you’ll pretend I didn’t...yell at you, I guess.” Virgil looked over at Remus. “And...I’m sorry for...Being mean to you.” Virgil didn’t actually feel all that sorry for what he had said to Remus, but he knew it would help get him in better standings with Roman, since apparently the two were best bros again. Remus huffed, either sensing the apology was forced or uncaring about it. 

“Well I’m not sorry for anything.” Remus grumbled. “You’re a jerk and I hope you stub your toe on a sharp corner.” Virgil rolled his eyes at the petty insult, but held his arms up in mock surrender. 

“Whatever…” He said. He gave one last look towards Roman. Something...didn’t feel right with how they were ending this. Like maybe there was something more Virgil should have been doing. But if Roman was willing to forgive and forget, then Virgil was ready to accept the opportunity. With a small woosh, Virgil was gone, and the brothers were left to stare at each other. 

“Remus…” Roman started, but was immediately cut off. 

“What a...Jerk.” Remus couldn’t even force himself to come up with powerful insults, still feeling the effects of regression at the corners of his brain. He sniffed, fighting off the tears that were threatening him. “He comes here, yells at you, insults Janus and me, and he just gets away with it.” Roman approached Remus carefully, before hugging his brother close. Remus didn’t resist. He didn’t even blame Roman for letting Virgil go like that. It was just frustrating. 

“I’m sorry…” Roman whispered. Sorry wasn’t enough, clearly. But Roman wasn’t sure if there was anything he could say to make it better. “It’s just easier if we...let it go.” If Roman dwelled on it too long, he would have to consider all the horrible things that made his brain hurt. That Virgil didn’t trust him, that he relied on Janus too much, that everyone thought so poorly of his brother, and instead of confronting anything that had happened, he cried on a rock. He just wanted to pretend that it didn’t bother him. 

Remus sighed. He didn’t want to let it go. He didn’t want Virgil to get away with being mean to both of them. He wasn’t one to bottle up his feelings and pretend they weren’t there, he was fairly open about things that hurt him. He wanted to go tell Janus what happened, and all three of them storm to the emos room and demand a proper apology, despite how that would only reinforce in Virgil’s mind that they were teaming up on him. But that wasn’t what Roman wanted. And Remus more than he wanted anything for himself, wanted Roman to be happy at the end of all this. A few of his tears slipped down his face. 

“Okay.” Remus said, and he felt his brother hug him tighter as he did. It made him feel a bit better about the whole thing, knowing Roman was okay. 

“Promise?” Roman asked, and he knew it was just a bit unfair for him to ask. Knew that Remus took promises so seriously. But he didn’t want Janus knowing what had happened here, he didn’t want to ever think about it again if he could help it, and telling Janus would make things worse. Not only because he was sure the deceitful side would confront Virgil about it, but he would confront Roman about it too. And the last thing he wanted was for Janus to try and solve another one of his problems…

Remus only nodded his response. Roman took that as a yes, offering his brother one more tight hug before pulling away.

“We don’t have to have the day end on such a bitter note.” Roman suggested. “We could go get on one of your ships.” Roman remembered seeing them, and it could surely serve as an adventure that they could enjoy as adults, and hopefully take their minds away from the misery that had been the last hour. 

Remus smiled a bit at the suggestion. “Okay...But promise me you won't steer us into a storm like last time.” He teased, already working towards getting them back to where the day had started. Roman chuckled and rolled his eyes, before hurrying off with Remus towards the docks.

+++

To say the air was tense when Remus finished relaying the events to Janus would be the understatement of the year. No one said anything when Janus’s grip on their hands grew just a bit tighter, or when he stiffened up so much that relaxing on him was impossible. The only thing that kept him from going off was the steadying hold of the Twin’s and the reminder that he’d told Remus he would stay. 

But he was mad. 

Well, even made didn’t seem like the right term. He was seething. His jaw was firm, and the two could tell it was taking a great deal of effort on Janus’s part not to release his anger. 

“I’m sorry…” Roman mumbled, believing that some of that anger had to be directed at him. He was the one who made the situation worse by letting Virgil go. “I thought I would get over it...But it’s been eating me up inside.” He quietly confessed. “And he...he really had me convinced that I shouldn’t go to you.” 

Janus sighed suddenly, the tension leaving his body just a bit. Roman waited for the verbal scolding, almost expecting the other to tell him to leave. Which is why he was shocked when Janus merely squeezed his hand. 

“You don’t owe me an apology.” Janus said quietly. “I’m not upset with how you handled that, I am more upset that that’s how you feel you have to handle it…” Roman’s face wore a confused expression, unsure what Janus meant by that, but he didn’t think about it much longer when suddenly a soft gloved hand was caressing his face once more. “And you can always come to me...Always.” Janus’s words were soft, and it took all of Roman’s self control not to melt into them. The hand was removed far too quickly for his liking though, and soon Janus was facing Remus. 

“Sorry for not telling you what happened. And lying.” Remus said. Janus shook his head and repeated the same motion he just did for Roman, cupping his cheek carefully. 

“You don’t owe me an apology either, love. I am not upset.” Janus could taste his own lie, and was quick to correct himself. “I am not upset with either of you, anyways.” Because he was very very upset. He could not believe Virgil could be so mean, and then simply get off so easily. He could have at least had the decency to feel bad about what he said. He did want to confront Virgil, he wanted to tell him off for how he treated Roman who is SUPPOSED to be his friend, and Remus, who despite their differences, still deserves respect when he hadn’t done anything wrong. 

“We will have to talk to Virgil, of course.” Janus said, though he could feel Roman stiffen beside him. “While I really do understand your desire to let this go, you’ve admitted it’s still bothering you. You are owed an apology, as is Remus.” Remus started to shake his head, he didn’t even care about what Virgil had said about him anymore, he more so cared that he had been mean to Roman, but Janus stopped him with a gentle pat to the leg. This apparently wasn’t up for debate. 

Roman understood that as well, and he didn’t have the energy to fight it. He didn’t think Virgil owed him anymore of an apology, but he couldn’t deny that Virgil’s words had affected him so much, to the point that he had been fighting regression, hiding from Janus, and had even almost started a fight with Remus. 

“However,” Janus said, sparing a glance at the clock in the room, it was close to dinner. “It can wait until tomorrow. You’ve both had a long day today, I think we’ve earned a quiet night.” He whispered before standing up. Both Roman and Remus seemed to agree, both a bit relieved they would not have to deal with the issue any further tonight, though for different reasons. 

They all agreed to bring their meals to Janus’s room for the night, none of them really in the mood for a full family meal time, particularly with the sour feelings still felt towards Virgil. As they sat in various places in the room, eating their meal and chatting idly, Roman found himself thinking back to the conversation just a bit. Janus seemed to notice, as he always seemed to. 

“Need to chat?” He asked towards Roman, quietly killing the conversation he and Remus had been having over the validity of cereal being soup. Roman looked towards Janus. 

“I know...I know what you said earlier, about me being able to come to…” He wasn’t sure why he was fumbling his words so much. Nerves, he supposed. But he just needed to get it over with, like ripping off a bandaid. “I guess I just wanted to know if…”

“He wants you to be his mommy, Janey.” Remus piped in quickly, picking up on exactly what Roman was putting down. It was obvious that he wanted Janus to take care of him, even before Roman had gotten stuck on the rock and asked for Janus. He might have even subconsciously wanted it way back during their paint fight, from before he even knew he was a regressor. How funny, that out of all the differences that made up the twin, one thing they would have in common would be an affection for Janus.

Roman’s face turned beet red. Before Janus could even begin to scold the other, Roman picked up the closest thing to him and tossed it at Remus. “Shut up!” He said, not angrily, simply overwhelmed with embarrassment. He rolled his eyes when Remus just laughed and caught the napkin in his mouth, swallowing it. He huffed in frustration. 

“Remus, that was very rude.” Janus said, trying to hide the smile he was feeling behind his disapproval of Remus’s actions. “Apologize.” 

“Sorry,” Remus said with a cheeky grin that indicated he was, in fact, no way sorry. Janus simply sighed, before looking over at Roman. 

“Now, what was your question?” He asked. Roman’s face was still a deep red that rivaled his sash. 

“I wanted to know if you would watch me when I’m regressed…” It was more mumbled than anything, and if Remus hadn’t already dropped the ball on Roman’s desires, Janus might not have understood him entirely. But he smiled softly, and as an answer he brushed his lips against Roman’s forehead, earning him a small smile from the creative side, and a loud whine from Remus. 

“I wanna kiss too.” He complained, and when Janus looked over at the twin, it was clear the light scolding and soft affection was making Remus feel small. Janus tsked slightly. 

“You’re such a jealous baby,” He teased, before standing up, walking over to Remus and gently giving him a soft kiss on the forehead as well. Remus smiled and nodded in agreement when Janus pulled away. He was a jealous baby, and he’d do it again, if it earned him more attention. 

“Can I be small now too?” Roman asked, also picking up on the fact that Remus seemed to be regressing. Again, it felt weird, knowing that he could chose to slip down while Remus usually couldn’t, but that would have to be another issue he’d tackle another day. 

“And curse me with two adorable littles? Please spare me the suffering.” Janus teased, before he was suddenly being tackled by said adorable littles, hugging him close enough that it almost promised they would never let go.


End file.
